*** As of July 2014, all Social Media Icons/Avatars
will be done on GiveAcaricature.com***

Icons & Avatars -
Definition & History

Today, Icons and
Avatars are ways that people represent themselves on the internet,
mobile phones, and email. They may represent different parts
of an individuals persona, beliefs, or interests. Nowadays
both terms are pretty much used interchangeably.

Avatars have been
used in PC games since 1985 and then began appearing in internet
forums in the 1990's but it was AOL's Instant Messaging that really
got avatars and icon use going. Now avatars and icons are all
over the place:

Icons and avatars
have also made their way into mobile phones and as email signatures.

MyFaceIcons.com makes
it easy for you to stand out in a crowd of icons with your own,
truly personal cartoon that not only looks like you, but can also
incorporate your interests.

If you want some
history, read on:

Per Wikipedia -
"avatar" derives from the Sanskrit word Avatāra, meaning
"incarnation" and usually refers to the deliberate descent of an
immortal or divine being into the mortal realm for a special
purpose. The term is used primarily in Hindu texts.

Per Wikipedia - an
"icon" (from
Greekεἰκών, eikon,
"image") is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or
likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it.